title: Expression profiling of human glial precursors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We have generated gene expression databases for human glial precursors, neuronal precursors, astrocyte precursors and neural stem cells and focused on comparing the profile of glial precursors with that of other populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 14 samples were analyzed. Each population, previously distinguished from each other by immunocytochemical analysis of cell surface markers, expressed genes related to their key differentiation pathways. For the glial precursor cell population, we identified 458 genes that were uniquely expressed. Expression of a subset of these individual genes was validated by RT-PCR. We also report genes encoding cell surface markers that may be useful for identification and purification of human glial precursor populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide gene expression profile for human glial precursors. Our data suggest several signaling pathways that are important for proliferation and differentiation of human glial precursors. Such information may be utilized to further purify glial precursor populations, optimize media formulation, or study the effects of glial differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Q Therapeutics, Inc. 615 Arapeen Dr., Ste. 102, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. jcampanelli@qthera.com
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Campanelli
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Sandrock
authors.forename: Will
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wheatley
authors.forename: Haipeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chesnut
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Mahendra S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D014157:Transcription Factors